Hi CaliAtenza,
Let me start by saying that i am a foreign med grad from India and went to Manipal and also from a family of doctors. I took up medicine because i loved it and also because of encouragement at home. I always feel that one has the best chance at being successful if parents are in the same field too because of the home environment and also because of guidance,know-how and many other things. But this doesn't mean people choosing different careers cannot be successful, it is just easier otherwise. But this is just my opinion, no offence intended.
My wife is a bio-major from UCI and is also from India (actually spent 10 yrs here and naturalized). There were many people in her majors who were med school bound. Some made it to med school here. Some of her friends who apparently didn't fare well in first 2 yrs went to carribean.
Regarding med education in India, the med schools range from excellent to below average. But most good med schools do not take foreign students. Some private schools which are good and take foreign students are Manipal and i have not heard about many others which are in the same league. But i think Sri Ramachandra(Chennai) is also good.
Majority private schools 'sell' degrees. These are the schools which may cheat people. This is not to belittle med education in India, because government med colleges far outnumber these private colleges. Many Indian students from these 'degree sellers' are not considered good doctors. In fact doctors from government and a few good private schools dominate the medical practice in India.
The overall curriculum of med schools in India is very rigorous and you have to study hard. In my batch in Manipal, most Indian students were very competitive and we came thru a separate entrance. The NRI and foreign students came thru a different route.
Regarding USMLE preparation: Many of us also took indian entrances which are very tough. Most of my batchmates who took USMLE scored well (very high scores). To be honest (and not exaggerating) for many Indian students even from average med schools (government schools) usmle is a joke. So most people can try and score very well provided they work for it.
Regarding residency placement: It is not easy for IMGs (international med grads) to get residencies in the US. Most IMGs with very good scores get into int med, FP, Psych, pediatrics etc. Getting into surgical fields is very difficult. To achieve radiology, derm, neurosurg or other very competitive fields is nearly impossible(or rare). This is the experience of mine and many of my friends despite strong scores.
So i strongly feel that a US citizen should go to a US med school. Even a low tier US med schools is better in terms of residency placement compared to foreign schools. It is possible for an IMG to get a good residency. There are many who have done it. Many of us are in the process of doing it and eventually do it. But the effort and stress that has to be put into it is much more than for a US med grad.
Carribean VS Indian Med School: Carribean grads have a better residency placement than indian schools because they allow you to take clinical electives in american hospitals, in fact many have it as a part of curriculum. This gets them letters of recommendation from US physicians who residency program directors know. The carribean schools are there for americans who could not get into med school there, so they may also provide assistance in usmle prep. Indian med schools including manipal produce doctors for India. So this is the difference in educational approach. I found my clinical education as superb compared to most schools here in the US, but that is not the point. But still the residency placement of carribean schools is nowhere close to US med schools.
I would suggest- do NOT give up on US med school. Work harder in your remaining classes and try to improve your gpa. Repeat a yr if need be.
If you are still not able to make it to a US school then go out.
Regarding DO: Different people have a different opinion on this. The residency placement of DOs in ACGME accredited programs is just like IMGs. Dos may do osteopathic residencies in other specialities but they are not good and not very acceptable and are not ACGME accredited. I have respect DOs for their knowledge and competence, but many people may not have the same recognition for DO as they would for an MD. Many DOs take usmle to go to acgme accredited programs. But there is this issue of public peception attached to DOs. But all IMGs write an MD, so this issue does not affect them. I would again add that i have respect for the capabilities of DO physicians.
If you have to choose a non US med school, think of carribean first and choose the school wisely (on the basis of their residency placement, which is what is important). But it is better to go to a good Indian school than a carribean school which does not have a good residency placement (there are all kinds of carib schools too).
Then think of a good Indian school.
The residency placement in the US of Indian students like me from Manipal has been better than my own batchmates who came thru NRI/foreigner category. There was a drastic difference in their academic performance and ours(indian students). This also reflected in the usmle scores. Many of these partied more. So wherever you go, it is important to work hard. Medicine is a rewarding field, but all of us have to work hard. Even US medical students in schools in the US work hard, so US citizens who go out of the country should also expect to work hard.
This doesn't mean that you live and sleep with your books, everyone enjoys in between too.
Best of luck.
